Blue House (Hong Kong)
Blue House (Chinese: 藍屋) refers to a 4-storey balcony-type tenement block located at 72-74A Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China. It is named after the blue colour painted on its external walls. It is one of the few remaining examples of tong lau of the balcony type in Hong Kong and is listed as Grade I historic building.[1]
Historic background
The building was the original site of the first hospital 'Wah To Hospital' (aka "Wan Chai Kai Fong Hospital"), which was built in the 1870s in Wan Chai.[2] The hospital, which provided Chinese medical services to local Chinese, was possibly the first hospital in the district.[3]
After the hospital closed in 1886, the two-storey building was then used as a temple for Wah To (Pinyin: Hua Tuo), the revered Chinese physician from the Three Kingdoms period.
The building was demolished during the late 1910s or early 1920s. It was converted into four four-storey tenement blocks in mid-1920s. The building was subsequently used as a martial arts school in the 1950s by Lam Cho, the nephew of Lam Sai Wing (one of the followers of Wong Fei Hung), and as an osteopathy clinic in the 1960s.[3]
The building was acquired by the government in the 1970s, and the outer walls painted blue, thus earning it the name “Blue House.”[4]
Future revitalisation
All the upper floors of Blue House, apart from 72 Stone Nullah Lane, are timber structures. The two wooden stairs, with original elements intact, are well maintained.[3]
The building was part of a HK$100 million plan, unveiled by the Housing Society and the Urban Renewal Authority, to preserve nine Chinese-style buildings in Wan Chai that were constructed during the 1920s.[4]
The building has been preserved and revitalised in a traditional tea and medicine style.[5]
In 2007, the Urban Renewal Authority and the Development Bureau jointly announced that the residents of the Blue House, were to be allowed to stay in this historic monument.[6]
The ground floor of the building became home to the Hong Kong House of Stories.
See also
- Green House (Hong Kong)
- Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme
- Wan Chai Heritage Trail
References
- ^ List of the 1,444 Historic Buildings in Building Assessment (as of 23 October 2015)
- ^ HKHS:Revitalization / Preservation Project in Wan Chai
- ^ a b c Revitalization / Preservation - Hong Kong Housing Society Archived 9 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Michael Ng, plan to revisit area's colorful history Archived 22 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard, April 1, 2006
- ^ Wan Chai landmark to be immortalised
- ^ Wan Chai facelift to save historic market, The Standard, 21 December 2007
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